Lakers add to victory log
An improbable third-period comeback has lifted the surging Lake Superior State Lakers into good position within the Western Collegiate Hockey Association standings.
Holding at least two games in hand on eight of the other nine teams in the WCHA, the Lakers take a conference record of 2-3-3 into a two-game road series at Alaska next weekend.
Now tied for seventh place in the WCHA, the Lakers head to Alaska to take on the Nanooks after splitting a pair of games with the fourth-place Ferris State Bulldogs on the weekend.
Having dropped the opener of the two-game set to Ferris State by a 1-0 margin on Friday, the Lakers trailed 2-0 after two periods on Saturday — and were in danger of being swept.
Indeed, the outlook did not look good as the Lakers had gone seven periods and a five-minute overtime frame without scoring a goal heading into the third period on Saturday.
But the floodgates finally opened for Lake Superior State in the third frame as the Lakers erupted for three goals to stun visiting Ferris State by a 3-2 margin.
The victory improves the Lakers record to the aforementioned 2-3-3 within the WCHA and pushes their overall mark to 4-9-3.
The win was also the Lakers first against Ferris State after nine straight losses dating back to the 2013-2014 season.
Junior forward Alex Globke got the return of the Laker scoring touch started 24 seconds into the third and the home team brought a Taffy Abel Arena crowd of just over 1,500 to its feet less than a minute later when senior defenseman Peter Spratte scored his first-ever collegiate goal.
Then, with just over three minutes to play, freshman defenseman Owen Headrick set the stage for the ringing of the victory bell when his screen shot found the back of the Ferris State net and gave the Lakers the rousing triumph.
A former standout with the Soo Thunderbirds of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League, the 18-year old Headrick — who hails from nearby Garden River First Nation and is the youngest player on the Lakers — now has 3 goals, 2 assists, 5 points in 16 games this season.
With 7 points from their 2-3-3 record, the seventh-place Lakers are only a point behind sixth-place Bemidji State and two points back of fifth-place Northern Michigan with two games in hand on both.
After playing ninth-place Alaska on the road next weekend, next home action for the Lakers will be a two-game series against the Michigan Tech Huskies on December 11-12.
PHOTO: The Lakers celebrate a third-period goal in Saturday’s come-from-behind win over Ferris State.
Another good article by ‘Randy Russon’ … So Nice to see Sprattie get his 1st Goal as a Laker ! … & Defeil playing like a top Goalie again. the last 2 Weeks.
Coach Whitten gets some credit for the way the Lakers came out flying in the 3-rd with SOG 7 to 0 a few minutes in to the 3-rd the Lakers caught Ferris by surprize and backing up and runninng around in there own end. Great to see! We cant afford to let up at Alaska like we did against Alabama Huntsville who have won only 2 game’s and both against us.
Big deal so LSS won a home game its about time.